Car insurer Admiral (LON:ADM) has plenty of 'vroom' left in the tank, reckons broker Numis, which says 'add' the shares.
Amid data suggesting an upturn in motor insurance rates, the broker says the firm is well positioned to achieve UK market share gains.
It has lifted the target price to 2,000p each.
"Admiral has historically used its margin advantage to gain market share in pricing upturns and we think the company is in a good position to effect a similar outcome in the current upturn," said analyst Nick Johnson.
The broker has revised forecasts so they are 4% ahead of consensus for 2016 results, with underlying assumptions that it allows for further upside potential.
Also in analyst world, giant UK utility Centrica and British Gas owner (LON:CNA) is trying to run 'up' a 'down' escalator, says European heavyweight broker Societe Generale today. It has downgraded the stock to 'sell' from 'hold' and clipped back the target price strongly to 175p from 250p on the back of wholeasale drop in commodity prices. The broker says this results in a 19% cut in its adjusted EPS to 14.3p, which is 14% below consensus of 16.7p. Centrica shares slid 4.95% to stand at 199.7p today- a day when competor SSE LON:SSE) vowed to cut UK household gas bills but confirmed an expected dividend hike, facing criticism that the bill cut was too little, too late.
Elsewhere, 'We are not heading for a recession', says German bank Berenberg, which has started coverage, in its usual tome, on four European staffing and recruitment agencies with a generally positive view.
"While we acknowledge the increasing uncertainty regarding the global economic outlook, ultimately we share the view of our economists that we are not heading for a recession, even though current valuations could suggest otherwise."
Of the UK companies, on Hays (LON:HAS), it starts with a 'buy' and targets 150p (current price - 126p), and on Michael Page (LON:MPI), it initiates with a 'buy' and a target price of 530p (currently 402.10p).
Meanwhile, City firm Panmure has moved up media giant Daily Mail & General Trust (LON:DMGT) to 'hold' from 'sell' on valuation grounds.
The broker says it remains cautious on the medium term outlook for the company, given "trading challenges which are unlikely to go away quickly for several parts of the portfolio".
"However, these challenges do look increasingly reflected in the stock’s valuation, following significant share price underperformance."
It targets 700p for the shares against a current price of 644p.
Investec notes that challenger bank Aldermore (LON:ALD) has been the best performing UK bank share of the broker's coverage so far this year, in a sector where sentiment remains "awful".
But analyst Ian Gordon points to a deluge of recent positive data on mortgages.
The BBA “all-mortgages” approvals data for December 2015 of £12.4bn represents 34% year-on-year growth, he said, while Last week’s CML data showed continued strength in gross mortgage lending of £19.9bn, up 23%.
Delivery against Aldermore's £1.4bn net loan growth target in 2015 appears “nailed on”, said the analyst, with a very strong pipeline.
He rates Aldermore shares a 'buy' with a target price of 325p against a current price of 214.5p.
To small caps, and broker Cantor Fitzgerald reckons Newmark Security (LON:NWT) stock has further to travel.
The security firm said profits for the six months ended October were down, but in line with forecasts as it invested in developing new product and market opportunities, which included opening a new office in Hong Kong. "Profit for the year is forecast to be in line with market expectations,” chairman Maurice Dwek told invetsors. Cantor rates the stock a ‘buy’ up to 4.5p. “The shares have re-rated substantially over the last year and, in our view, positive news flow on the execution of the strategy remains the key catalyst for further outperformance,” investors were told.